Ten years ago today, on World AIDS Day (1 December, 2000), World Vision launched the Hope Initiative–our ground-breaking response to the AIDS pandemic. Today, we are launching World Vision’s new strategy on HIV and AIDS. Over the past decade we have learned much, celebrated many successes and made significant progress in bringing the effects of HIV and AIDS on children and the most vulnerable to the forefront. The battle is far from won, however. We still face harsh realities that call us to strengthen our response to this pandemic.
In 2009 there were more people than ever living with HIV around the world and more deaths than at the start of the Hope Initiative.
The number of children under age 15 living with HIV increased from 1.6 million in 2001 to 2.1 million in 2008. There were an estimated 430,000 new infections in children in 2008 and 280,000 children died of AIDS.1 About 90% of new infections stem from transmission from mother to child, and 90% of these infections are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Global treatment for children living with HIV has made progress, yet still reaches only 38% of those in need. In 2008, only 15% of HIV-exposed infants were tested by the first two months of life in order to enrol them in life-saving treatment. Without this treatment, half of HIV-infected babies die by their second birthday.
As Christians, World AIDS Day is an important time to reflect on HIV and our belief that all people are created in God’s image. While we work to promote and protect the rights of people living with or affected by HIV as well as those who are vulnerable to infection, we must remain grounded in the spiritual foundation that calls all of us to work for justice and treat all people as our sisters and brothers.
We offer to you this World AIDS Day devotional guide to facilitate a time of remembrance and prayer. Let us thank God for the work he has allowed us to do over the past 10 years, and let us pray for the work ahead.
TIPS for the use of this devotional guide:
1. This devotion offers a variety of options. Depending on how your office conducts devotions, you can choose to use the full devotion or to select elements from it. Feel free to adapt it as it fits your circumstances or devotional style.
2. You may print the summary of the new HIV strategy for all participants to read at the World AIDS Day devotion. Please pray for the Hope team as we implement the strategy throughout the Partnership.
Acknowledgments
This liturgy has been adapted from the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance liturgy for World AIDS Day 2009. The devotion message was influenced by Jonathan C. Watt, Christine Erb-Kanzleiter and Bill Long.
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You can find the order of service in the PDF document attached below.
[...] World AIDS Day – 1 December 2010 – A World Vision Liturgy Wed Dec 01, 2010 9:00 am Ten years ago today, on World AIDS Day (1 December, 2000), World Vision launched the Hope Initiative–our ground-breaking response to the AIDS pandemic. Today, we are launching World Vision’s new strategy on HIV and AIDS. Over the past decade we have learned much, celebrated many successes and made significant progress in bringing the effects of [...] [...]
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